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Category: 27. Settlements outside Robeson County
FUTC004. Futch, Michael. “Center
gives Lumbees a sense of community.” (Lumbees: The Trail North, Part
3) Fayetteville Observer Sunday, 8 October 2000.
4 photographs.
Publication type: Newspaper article
Electronic access: Fayetteville Observer Web site
(www.fayettevillenc.com).
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This article provides a detailed overview of
the formation of the Baltimore American Indian Center, the services it
offers, its current financial problems, and the needs of Lumbee people
in Baltimore.
The Center, located in the 100 block of South Broadway
(less than a block from South Broadway Baptist Church) was established
in 1968. The Church's pastor, Rev. James M. Dial, was integrally involved
in establishing the center, as was Elizabeth Locklear. Its original aim
was to help Lumbee people who migrated to Baltimore for employment in the
1940s-1960s adapt to urban life and feel connected. A few years ago the
center had a staff of 13. It has since suffered financial problems. As
of this writing, there were only one full-time employee (the substance
abuse outreach coordinator) and two part-timers. The executive director's
position had been vacant for a year.
The center includes a museum, day care center (with Head
Start), after-school cultural program, and senior center. It offers drug
and alcohol education and helps clients obtain housing and heating. Its
role for Lumbee people has shifted in recent years. Rather than helping
recent migrants adapt to urban life, it helps their children, grandchildren,
and great-grandchildren deal with issues such as employment, unemployment,
health, and housing.
The needs of Lumbee people in Baltimore are many. In 1999,
the Institute for Urban Research at Morgan State University did a survey
of the city's Indians for the Baltimore American Indian Center. The survey
revealed that Indians had the lowest average income of any minority in
the city ($5,000-$10,000). About 45% lived in poverty, and the unemployment
rate was 35%.
There are still connections with Robeson County. The Carolina
Indian Voice has about 1,300 Baltimore subscribers, and LRDA and the
Baltimore American Indian Center have always supported each other.
Additional Subjects: Baltimore American Indian Center | Lumbees
in Baltimore, M.D. | Poverty | Unemployment
This annotation was written on: January 7, 2002; last edited
on June 21, 2002.
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